UFC middleweight Chris Price (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will face Ed Herman (10-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) on the undercard of Thursday’s UFC Fight Night 8 event. I recently tracked down the Indianapolis fighter to discuss his MMA career, a recent loss to Kendall Grove, his upcoming bout with Herman and what’s in store for the future.

The interview was actually a treat. When you talk to fighters, you oftentimes hear the right answers, but you don’t always feel like you get the real answers. With Price, though, I felt like I was talking to a straight shooter. The former soldier came across as polite, grounded, honest and driven. And that almost feels like a rarity in the MMA world.

Frankly, when you hear about his exhausting full-time job and grueling training schedule, you wonder how the guy has the energy to do it all. But at just 24 years of age, time is obviously on his side. And he knows it.

So read on to learn why the UFC sophomore isn’t worried about his status in the organization and why a contract renewal isn’t his top concern. And find out why he thinks his fight with Herman is a win-win proposition.

I read that you were in the military prior to fighting in MMA. How did the one lead to the other?

I joined the Marines Corps in 2001 when I was right out of high school. I was there until 2003 or 2004, and once it was over, I wasn’t real sure what to do. I got a warehouse job and hated it, but eventually some friends got me to check out some underground fighting shows. I was hooked. I eventually went to a show and a guy backed out at the last minute. I was his size and interested, so I filled in at the last minute. It was Sept. 3, 2005. Sure enough, I won. And I’ve been doing it ever since.

Your first bout took place in October 2005. Since then, including your fight with Kendall Grove at Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3 this past October, you’ve fought nine times in less than 12 months. Was that by design?

All the opportunities kept coming one after another. For me, every time a fight came up, it meant extra money in my pocket. And with my job, I could always use some extra money, so I just kept fighting whenever there was an opportunity. The more I fought, the more serious I got about it, and the more money I made to help pay the bills.

What’s your current situation? Does training take up the majority of your time?

Well, I train in southwest Indianapolis at Modern Gladiator Gym. Whenever we can get some new guys in town — I’ll train with Sean Salmon, who’s a great wrestler, for example — I’ll roll with them. I also get down to Lexington with Mike McDonald and some of his guys. I bounce around a lot, but I still have a 40-hour-per-week job I have to consider. I haven’t picked up many sponsors. It’d be awesome to train full-time. That would be phenomenal. I remember when I was in Florida to fight Kendall Grove and was sitting by the pool with all the other guys. They all thought I was crazy when I told them I still had a full-time job. I empty trailers all day Ã¢â?¬â?? huge appliances, washers, dryers, refrigerators. Luckily, the gym is right upstairs. It’s convenient, but it makes for some long days. But it’s all worked for me so far.

How would you describe yourself as a fighter? Where do you see your strengths lying?

Actually, my strengths aren’t really realized. I’m still early in the game. I still have a lot to learn. I’m in the sponge mode right now and just trying to learn everything I can to see what fits. My style? It’s relentless. I wear people down. I feed off adrenaline. I have great conditioning, and a lot of that probably comes from my time in the military. But like I said, I’m young. I’m 24. I’m still developing as a fighter.

You made your UFC debut against Kendall Grove, a winner from The Ultimate Fighter series and what many people probably considered a pretty big favorite in the fight. You were ultimately submitted by strikes. What happened there? What do you take away from that fight?

Honestly, I’ve never been paid attention like that. Never had I been in an event of that magnitude with all of the cameras and lights. I was like a kid in the world’s biggest candy store. It was just too much to take in at one time. I had never been a part of something that big Ã¢â?¬â?? no high school sports or anything. It was a lot of pressure.

I didn’t think he would try to take me down. He was so much taller that I figured he’d use that advantage standing. He caught me off guard and took me down, and his ground game was better. Honestly, in a fight, I had never really been put on my back before. You just don’t think it’ll happen to you. You train for it and practice, but come fight time, I just wasn’t prepared. He caught me with a good elbow, and that was that.

Do you felt you did something particularly wrong or that you need to change your approach in future fights?

I took it more as a learning opportunity than anything else. I wasn’t necessarily disappointed. When you lose, you can beat yourself up about it if you think about it too much. Honestly, I’m young, and I’m fighting world contenders. I take it as a compliment. He exposed my weakness and woke me up. He made me realize I need to train in new ways and prepare for new stuff. It sucks that it happened, but in the end, it was for the best.

Tell me about your fight with Ed Herman that’s set for Thursday at UFC Fight Night 8. What should fans expect? How do you guys match up?

I know I wasn’t matched up well with Kendall Grove when I fought him. Hell, who is? When a guy is 6-foot-6 and weighs 185 pounds, you’re not going to find many guys who stack up with him too well. But Ed’s like everyone else.

He’ll want to take me down, especially after he saw that fight with Kendall. Just about every win he has is from submissions. He probably thinks it’ll be an easy game plan and he won’t get too complicated. But I’m ready for that. If that’s his game plan, he’s in for a surprise. Everyone’s in for a good fight.

A lot of people think this is do-or-die time for Herman. He lost to Grove in The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale, but got a contract anyway. He then got upset by Jason MacDonald, and if he loses to you, some people just don’t think the UFC will keep him around much longer. What about you? You’re pretty much in the same boat, right?

Frankly, I don’t even care about the UFC contract. Win or lose, I was there. I learned a ton. It’s do-or-die time for him because the UFC is all he wants to do. But not for me. I started a year and four months ago. I still have years of fighting ahead of me. Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to win with a first-round KO, take my check and go home. But whatever. I’m not going to get caught up in the Hollywood of it all or the celebrity. There’s life after the UFC for me. For Herman, he’s got everything to lose. It’s win-win for me. If I win, great. And if I lose, I get some great experience.

What’s your support system like? Do your family members or friends make it to your fights?

My family doesn’t have a whole lot of money, so it’s hard for them to get to one of my fights if it’s in a place like Florida. I’ll give a ticket to my girlfriend, my agent and maybe a sponsor, but I really don’t need many. I’m just glad the fight is on Spike so everyone can watch it on TV. Well, I hope our fight makes it on TV, anyway.

I’ve actually got a lot of fans. When I first started fighting, it was just a couple friends who talked me into it and followed me. But society’s getting crazy because more and more people are getting into it. In our Legends of Fighting shows — which is where I used to fight in Indianapolis — more and more people would show up every time. Now, we sell out like every show. There’s actually a Legends show on Friday, so right after my fight, I want to get right back there to catch the show. Obviously it’d be great to take a UFC win back there with me.

What are your ultimate goals in the UFC and MMA?

My goal is to be 2-1 with my current three-fight deal. I want to get that win over Herman and then pick up another win with the next guy they give me. After that, I just don’t know. I’m not sure I’ll renew my contract or if they’ll even offer one. I need more experience. Everyone in the UFC is well-rounded. I still have a lot of holes, though. I’d love to be a contender one day. I think I’m maybe a year or two away if I can get a ton of experience and training during that time.

But yeah, I definitely would want to get back to the UFC. I’m not going to quit fighting. How many guys can get there in a year like I did anyway? I could have passed up the UFC contract when they first offered it to me, but I knew it was a great opportunity to get seen and be known as a fighter. I know it’ll always get me more fights, make me a name and hopefully get me some fans. Regardless, once I’m ready, I do want to be a top contender and get a shot at the title in the UFC. But I’ve got nothing but I’ve got my whole career in front of me at this point.